Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
This State Assembly Bill Could Help End California's Notorious Rape Kit Backlog
Photo courtesy of End The Backlog.
()
A bill to end the backlog of untested rape kits in California, introduced in March by San Francisco Assemblyman David Chiu, is heading to the state Senate. Assembly Bill 41, which seeks to determine exactly how much of the nation's notorious rape-kit backlog is centered in California, passed an Assembly vote with bipartisan support in April, but may face challenges when it is voted on by the state Senate in June.
Assembly Bill 41 would require law enforcement agencies to report to the state the number of sexual assault kits they collect and examine—or, crucially, do not examine. The bill would also require officers to provide a reason as to why evidence was not tested, helping to lessen the number of untested rape kits in California, which the sexual assault advocacy nonprofit End the Backlog estimates could be as many as 8,998. "The passage of Assembly Bill 41 could help solve past crimes while preventing future ones," Assemblyman Chiu told LAist, noting that his similar 2016 bill to estimate the size of the rape-kit backlog in California did not make it through a fiscal committee, and encouraging constituents to reach out to their state senators in support of the bill. Chiu cited the physically invasive and often traumatic nature of sexual assault evidence collection as a major reason to support the bill; the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) notes that the rape-kit process can take hours and involves head-to-toe examination, blood samples, swabs and photography of any injuries.
Critics of Assembly Bill 41 include the California State Sheriffs' Association, who suggest that the financial burden of rape kit testing—which the National Center for Victims of Crime estimates can cost between $500 and $1,200to test—would constitute an unfunded mandate for law enforcement agencies.
California has been a leader in past sexual assault legislation, passing the nation's first "yes means yes" law in 2014 to make affirmative consent—i.e. consent that is explicit, informed and voluntary—a main tenet of school sexual misconduct policies. Nevertheless, the text of Assembly Bill 41 demonstrates that California still has a ways to go in achieving justice for victims of sexual assault, pointing out that as there is still no mandatory statewide tracking system to ensure that rape kits are tested promptly, it's up to the California State Legislature to bridge the gap.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist